Container



June 29, 1943. L. Es'rr-:ROW ETAL coNTAINER Filed sept. 1'7, 1942 IVENTOR. I

Patented `lune 29, 19.43 I

'UNITED STATES PATENT'oFFICe Leo Esterow and Abraham Klein, New York, Application September 17, 1942, Serial No. 458,632

4 claims. (cieco-@55) 4 This invention relates to receptacles or containers, and particularly to smallv receptacles such as vanity cases, compacts, cigarette cases, and other small and compact containers capable of 4use for various purposes. Up to the present time, most of these containers have been stamped from sheet metal or similar material and it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a container which can be satisfactorily made from either metal or other materials, such as wood, plastic composition, or the like, including not only the body of the container, but its operating parts as well, such as the hinge elements and locking means.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a container or receptacle of this character, a strongand sturdy construction, with parts arranged to permit simplified assembly and resulting in a container of attractive appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a container of the character described, an improved locking means for holding the container closed, the parts of the locking means being of such design and construction that the same may be made of wood or other material.

These and other objects are accomplished by the invention, a more particular description of which will hereinafter appear and be set forth in the claims appended hereto.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a container constructed in accordance with the invention, the locking means being shown in open position; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the container, the locking means being shown in closed position; Fig. 3 is an edge view of the container; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 shows the locking member or hasp; Fig. 6t is a plan view of a portion of a container, showing a modied form of lock; Fig. '7 shows a sliding bolt for the lock of the structure shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan view of a portion of a container, showing another modified form of lock; and Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 8, the cover being raised.

In the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the top or upper section of the container is shown at I, the bottom or lower section being indicated at 2. These two sections may be of any suitable shape and size and may -be made of wood, plastic or of any other suitable material. The rear ends of the sections I and 2 are longitudinally grooved as indicated at 3, and in the groove of one of the sections is secured, adhesvely or by any other fastening means, a tubular elementi 5;- disposed in axial alignment with two similar tubular -elements I similarly secured on the other section ofthe container. A pintle Il extends through the three aligned tubular elements 4 and 5 and co-operates therewith in forming the hinge for the two container sections.

The opposite ends of the two'container sections are grooved as indicated at 6,' the groove in the top or upper container section I receiving two spaced cylindrical elements or beads 8 in which are pivotally mounted the pintle portions I0 of ailocking loop or hasp 9, shown in detail inFig.` 5. l

Secured inthe groove 6 of the bottom member 2 is a cylindrical element or bead 8, which lies in axial alignment lwiththe two beads I when the container is closed, 'as shown in Fig. 2. When the container is inthis closed position, the loopshaped hasp canbe swung to cause the same to t around or extend under the bead 8,thus preventing lthe container sections I andf 2 'from being swung apart and accordingly hold the box in closed position.t To open the box, the hasp '9 is swung outwardly,as shown in Figs. 1 and 4',

so that it may be passed around the bead 8. To prevent the hasp from inadvertently opening, it is desirable that the pintles I0 operate with some friction within the tubular bead elements 1, thereby enabling the hasp to retain itself in either locked or open position when manually placed in either of said positions.

In the modified structure shown in Figs. 6 and '7, the top section I of the container is provided along its front edge with a tube I2 located in axial alignment with a similar tube I3 secured along the front edge of the lower section 2 of the container. Mounted for sliding movement within the tube I2 is a bolt I4 formed with an integral neck portion I5 slidable within a slot I1 formed in the wall of the tube I2. A finger-piece I6 constituting an integral extension of the neck I5, is disposed on the outerside of the tube I2 and constitutes a means by which the bolt mair be manually shifted longitudinally of the tubes I2 and I3. The locked position of the device is shown in Fig. 6 wherein it will be seen that the bolt has been projected out of the tube I2 to an extent suillcient to cause it to enter tube I3, thus bridging the two tubes I2 and I3 and holding the two sections I and 2 of the container in locked relation. To open the locking device, the bolt is slid to the right, causing it to be withdrawn out of tube I3, and the two container sections can then be swung apart.

In the modication of the invention disclosed in Figs. 8 and 9, the top section or cover member I is provided at its front edge with a cylindrical element or bead I8, not necessarily tubular, and the bottom section 2 of the container is provided with a similar cylindrical element or `bead I9. The inner end of the bead I9 is provided with an angular or bevelled end 2| frictionally co-operating with a similar angular or bevelled end on the bead I8 so that, when the two bevelled ends 20- and 2I are brought together, and the two beads I8 and I9 are axially aligned, the friction between bevelled ends 20 and 2| will be suiiicient to retain the two halves or container sections together in closed position. 'Ihis is facilitated b-y forming one of the bevelled ends at a slightly different angle to the other whereby friction between' the two ends will be set upl when the two container sec- With this type cf' tions are brought, together. locking means, no projecting parts or-elements are present, and a smooth, continuous cylindrical beading is provided along'both the front and rear edges of the container.

The structuresfshownin-the several embodiments of the invention aresuch that all parts of the device including hinge and lock parts, may, if desired, beymade vofwood, plasticV or similar materials,V and the external appearance of the containeris greatly enhanced by the absence of dissimilar materials and projecting parts.

What we claim is; y Y A. l I

1. A vanity case or the likehavingvv a body composed of two hingedly connected sections, each section having a cylindrical` beading disposed along one of its edges,E the beading on one of the sectionsv adapted; to `be, disposed in axial alignment Vwiththatgon lthe other section when the case fis in closed'positiomythe beading on one section adapted torbe disposed between beading parts on the other. section when the case is closed, and a` pivoted locking link carried jby one of thesections4 adapted toI-be kswung over the beading `on the'other section when said beading isdispo'sedvbetweenthe bead,-

.ed to be swung to engage beneath the central cylindrical member to hold the sections of the case in locked relation.

3.. In a container of the character described, a base portion and a topj hingedly connected thereto, locking means for holding the top and base in closed position comprising, several aligned tubular sections provided along the front edge of one of the container sections,` a. cylindrical member provided along the front edge of the other section of the container, said cylindrical member vbeing disposed between and in axial alignment with the tubular sections when the top and base of the container are in closed position, and a loop hasp member pivoted between the two tubular sections and adapted to be swung to embrace the cylindrical member when ythe top and base member of the container are in closed position and the cylindrical member is disposed in axial alignment with the tubular sections.

4. In a container of the character described, 4two container sections hingedly connected at one end', the frontedge of each of the container sections being grooved, each of the grooves carrying cylindrical Abeading elements, the beading on one of the sectionscarrying a pivoted loop adapted to nt around the lbeading on the other section when the two container sections are in closed position and the beading on bothsections isl axially aligned.

' LEO ESTEROW.

ABRAHAM KLEIN. 

